Kerala’s Anganwadi Projects Listed as National Best Practices

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala’s initiatives such as the Anganwadi Nutrition Menu, the Egg and Milk Supplementary Nutrition Programme, and the Kunjooz Card have been featured among the best practice models in the country.

These schemes by the Department of Women and Child Development were presented in a seminar held ahead of the Chief Secretaries' conference. The presentation was made by Dr. Sharmila Mary Joseph, Principal Secretary of the Department of Women and Child Development. Department Director Haritha V Kumar also participated.

Minister for Health and Women and Child Development, Veena George, stated that this recognition is a testament to the department's exemplary efforts for children's welfare.

The Egg and Milk Programme, Nutrition Menu in Anganwadis, and the Kunjooz Card are major schemes implemented during the tenure of the current government. Initially launched as a two -day -a- week programme, the Egg and Milk scheme has been extended to three days a week.

The Kunjooz Card was introduced to assess the developmental progress of preschool children attending Anganwadis. The card was developed by a technical committee comprising pediatric experts and specialists from the Thiruvananthapuram CDC under the department's leadership.

For the first time, a unified model food menu was prepared for Anganwadis, including dishes like biryani. The menu was designed to be both nutritious and appealing, reducing sugar and salt content while ensuring adequate protein and energy in line with nutritional standards to promote healthy growth. Items such as egg biryani and pulao have been included in the menu.

Other initiatives presented include "Anganappoomazha', a children’s activity book part of the 2024 Gender Audit, Anganathaimavu, a teaching assistant handbook, the Kilikkonjal programme broadcast through the Victors channel, a picture dictionary designed using "Anganathaimavu' for tribal children, the First 1000 Days programme for infants, the Special Anganwadi model, and the Trivandrum Development Monitoring Card.